Here’s the truncated timeline:
September 22, 2008: Distributor Harvey Weinstein and film producer Scott Rudin lock horns over the release of “The Reader.” Weinstein fresh out of Oscar-bait hopefuls wants to rush the picture into December, Academy season. Rudin is apoplectic, this is cleary a 2009 film, one that he has shepherded since the passing of beloved cinema giants.
October 10, 2008: After weeks of public and ugly warring, in protest of Weinstein’s bullish ways and assuming he’s got a much better shot at Oscar with “Revolutionary Road” anyhow, Rudin takes his name off “The Reader” as its producer leaving it for Harvey to do with it what he can.
January 22, 2009, 8:30 a.m. EST: “The Reader” is nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Kate Winslet) and Best Director. “Revolutionary Road” is nominated for three, the most important nomination being Best Supporting Actor.
Jan 22, 2009, roughly 2:30 EST: “[The film] is one of those rare movies that works on a three or four times basis. The more you see it, the more you get it and the more you understand the movie. That’s what happened with me originally” – Harvey Weinstein subtly gloats, encourages voters to go see his movie one more time.
January22, 2009, evening: Somewhere in New York City, Scott Rudin is all Yosemite Sam.
Btw, if you want an in-depth look at “rags to riches” story of the ‘Reader,’ this Variety piece is fantastic and tracks the picture from the days when Nicole Kidman was supposed to star, but had to drop out because “Australia” was running over schedule she became pregnant.
Before anyone says it, yes Rudin also had Doubt which scored 4 acting Oscars noms which is nothing to sneeze at, but even he knew Rev Road was the big ticket and it missed the Target. Even the Times said something about they would have loved to been the fly in the office to hear him take the call that The Reader score Best Picture and Director noms and Rev Road didn’t. They joked about some kind of calamitous outburst. I believe it was the bagger.